The Chu Family of Tianyan

Neither Xia Xue nor Xiao Zi could be seen by outsiders, and Chu Xiaotian was about to be away for a while. He could only return to the Hundred Herb Pavilion and buy enough medicinal herbs to last Xia Xue for over a month. Then he handed them to the gatekeeper from the Mad Blade Martial Hall, gave him a few low-grade Spirit Stones, and asked him to deliver the herbs to Xia Xue and tell her he would be back soon.

The Mad Blade Martial Hall disciples had nothing but respect for Chu Xiaotian. On top of that, the low-grade Spirit Stone made the disciple very happy. He took the Qiankun Bag Chu Xiaotian had given him and left Greenwood Town to find Xia Xue. The location of Xia Xue's home wasn't a secret; the people of Greenwood Town simply didn't usually disturb her, so the place was exceptionally quiet.

Chu Xiaotian hadn't considered delivering the herbs to Xia Xue himself. For one thing, it was best if outsiders didn't know where she lived. For another, he was worried those people might see Xiao Zi. That would surely lead to trouble.

"All right, let's go." Watching the Mad Blade Martial Hall disciple leave Greenwood Town, Chu Xiaotian turned to the old man and said with a slight smile.

The old man nodded and swept out his hand. A flash of light, and a rectangular box appeared before Chu Xiaotian. It was two meters wide and three meters long. Looking closely, he saw four wheels underneath, windows on either side, and doors at the front and back. It was quite similar to the ancient horse-drawn carriages Chu Xiaotian knew about, except it lacked the shaft where the driver would sit. If not for its boxy shape and wheels at least twice as large as car tires, it looked just like a car from Chu Xiaotian's world. Judging by its appearance, it probably served the same purpose, too.

"Senior, what is this?" Though he had his suspicions, Chu Xiaotian looked at Chu Xiong with a puzzled expression and asked.

"This is called the Chu Car. It's a unique artifact of the Chu family, used for traveling. Get in." The old man glanced at Chu Xiaotian, a hint of pride flashing across his face, and spoke calmly. Then he opened the front door of the Chu Car and climbed inside.

Chu Xiaotian was speechless. So this thing was called a Chu Car, and it was used for traveling. It was basically a car from his old world. He just didn't know if it could go as fast as one.

When he climbed in, he saw that the interior was much like a car from his old world. There were three rows of seats and a dashboard-like platform at the front. On it sat a round disc covered in various markings. At the center was a small groove, just the right size for a Spirit Stone.

As Chu Xiaotian got in, he saw Chu Xiong placing a Spirit Stone into the groove. The moment it was in, the markings on the disc lit up, and the vehicle began moving slowly.

Chu Xiaotian stared. A car—that was what a car from another world looked like! Cars ran on gasoline, while this thing, the Chu Car, ran on Spirit Stones.

Chu Xiaotian and several guards sat in the two back rows, while the old man sat at the very front, his eyes half-closed. After a while, Chu Xiaotian felt a faint tremor. Looking out the windows on either side, he saw the scenery rushing past. It was no slower than the cars he'd seen in his old world—in fact, it was much faster. The Chu Car was clearly controlled with spiritual power. There was no need to use one's hands; a mere thought was enough. Crashing into a tree or a person and getting into an accident simply wasn't a concern.

"Big brother, how much does a Chu Car like this cost? Could I get one when I come back?" Looking at the scenery whipping past outside, Chu Xiaotian immediately fell in love with this otherworldly car. He leaned toward the thin guard beside him and asked with a smile.

"Heh, I'm afraid you won't be able to buy one, even if you want to. You have to understand, a Chu Car is a treasure of the Dharma Artifact level. There are only a few in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, and every owner is someone of high standing. Chief Chu Xiong's ancestor personally took part in designing and refining the Chu Car. The family specially bestowed one upon him, and his descendants have passed it down through the generations. Who knows how many people have tried to buy it? They won't sell. As for the other members of the family, hardly any of them have one. We're lucky to be riding in such a treasure and enjoying ourselves, all thanks to Chief Chu." At Chu Xiaotian's question, the guard smiled and explained the Chu Car's origins, making it clear that it wasn't something just anyone could own.

"So Chief Chu's ancestor was such a remarkable man. I truly admire him. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to pay my respects to him." Chu Xiaotian sighed inwardly. It seemed this otherworldly car wasn't as simple as he'd imagined. Of course, he still had to flatter Chief Chu Xiong a little.

Sure enough, when he heard Chu Xiaotian's words, Chu Xiong merely gave a soft grunt, but his expression had grown much gentler. Clearly, he was proud that his ancestor had received this Chu Car.

Chu Xiaotian smiled faintly and left him alone, turning back to chat with the guard sitting across from him. From their conversation, he learned some of the things he wanted to know.

They all came from the Chu family of Shiyan City. Of the 108 cities in the Great Xia Dynasty, Shiyan City ranked eighth and was considered a major city. Yufeng Prefecture, where they were now, also fell under Shiyan City's jurisdiction.

The Chu family made its living refining artifacts and was one of the three great families in Shiyan City. The Chu Car they were riding in had been developed by the Chu family more than three hundred years ago. At the time, they had named it after their own surname.

A family like the Chu family should, in theory, have been thriving. Yet for some reason, its direct line had grown thinner and thinner. The grandfather of the young master they were searching for with Chu Xiong—the current head of the Chu family, Chu Wen—was an only child with no brothers or sisters. Even after taking more than ten wives, he had only one son: Chu Mingxuan. His son was even worse. He was over forty, had no fewer wives than his father, and still hadn't produced a single heir. Later, however, a mistress he'd taken outside the family gave birth to a son: the young master Chu Xiong and the others were searching for. That young master happened to have exactly the same name as Chu Xiaotian. This was one of the reasons the group had thought Chu Xiaotian had lost his memory. Their identical appearances might have been a coincidence, but having the same name, too, was a little too far-fetched.

Shortly before he turned eighteen, that Chu Xiaotian had been brought into the family by Chu Mingxuan to take part in his coming-of-age ceremony and formally acknowledge his ancestry. This was a wonderful thing for Chu Wen, who had no other descendants. After confirming the young man's true identity, he was so excited that he ordered a grand banquet for the day of Chu Xiaotian's ceremony, when the young man would formally return to the family. But unexpectedly, Chu Xiaotian disappeared the day before the ceremony. Someone claimed to have seen him leave the city with several guards, but after that, he never returned.

Chu Wen flew into a rage and ordered the entire family to search for him. Yet even now, they still hadn't found him. It was as if he had vanished from the world without a sound. He was arguably the Chu family's sole future heir; the importance of his identity needed no explanation. So although they were almost certain Chu Xiaotian wasn't the young master of their family, they wouldn't give up as long as there was even the slightest hope.

After hearing the guard's story, Chu Xiaotian felt he understood the situation a little better. It seemed the Chu family had fallen into one of those clichéd power struggles among wealthy clans. The direct line had probably been targeted long ago and successfully sabotaged. Otherwise, how could two generations in a row have taken more than ten wives and still failed to produce an heir?

Chu Xiaotian had no desire to get caught up in a mess like that. He hadn't experienced the troubles of wealthy families himself, but he'd heard more than enough about them. Even blood brothers could be killed at the drop of a hat. If an outsider like him, with no real strength, got caught up in their affairs, he might not even have a scrap left by the end. All he wanted was for the head of the Chu family to confirm that he wasn't their young master. Then he'd head straight back to Greenwood Town, stay with Xia Xue, and enjoy a comfortable life for a while. Once he grew stronger, he could venture out into the world again.

The journey from Greenwood Town to Shiyan City took quite a while. Even with Chu Xiong's Chu Car, they spent a full two days on the road. They barely got out of the vehicle the entire way, eating, drinking, and sleeping inside. The Chu Car was incredibly smooth, and sitting in it, they could hardly feel a thing. But it consumed Spirit Stones at an astonishing rate: two high-grade Spirit Stones every hour. An ordinary person really couldn't afford that.

Over those two days, Chu Xiaotian learned not only a great deal about the Chu family from the guard, but also many things about the Moon-Refining Continent. Everything he knew about the continent had come from Xia Xue and Ba Dao, and their experiences couldn't compare to those of a Chu family guard who had traveled far and wide. What he learned was all extremely valuable to him, so even after being carried such a long way, he still felt it had been well worth it.

Shiyan City was one of the eight largest cities in the Great Xia Dynasty. It covered an enormous area, more than fifty thousand li across—almost twice the size of the capital of the country from Chu Xiaotian's old world. Yet it had a population of only a little over ten million, not all that many for such a vast city.

As one of Shiyan City's three great families, the Chu family certainly knew how to make an impression. The estate alone covered an area ten li across, enough to make Chu Xiaotian marvel. Its towering walls, as high as a city wall, and its wide gates all displayed the imposing presence of one of the three great clans.

Perhaps the head of the family had given instructions, because Chu Xiong drove straight inside with Chu Xiaotian instead of getting out at the gate. The Chu family's rules were strict: no riding inside the family compound. There was one exception, though—the Chu Car. Anyone who owned one was sure to be someone of great standing, or someone with outstanding achievements. They were treated as privileged members of the family, and the rule against riding did not apply to them.